This invention relates to armatures for supporting plant growth thereon, and to imitation trees, which may otherwise be referred to as panel trees, which comprise such armatures on which there is supported a cover of vines or other creeping plants, and/or a simulated growth.
In landscaping terrains for use as golf courses or ski hills or the like, it is often desired to include trees. These may serve diverse purposes, such as channeling activity along desired paths, providing safety barriers and wind breaks, and also enhancing the scenic appearance of the terrains. Generally speaking it will take many years to grow a well finished tree to a height of about 4 m. (13 feet), and the cost of transplanting mature trees of this size will be prohibitively high, particularly where a large number of transplants is involved. Moreover, many terrains will be difficultly accessible for the heavy equipment used in transplanting mature trees.
Accordingly, there is a requirement for low cost structures having the appearance of a mature tree, or which will assume a mature tree like appearance in a relatively short period of time.
There is also a requirement for structures of the foregoing nature that are shippable as a kit of parts;, using common carriers.
There is still further a requirement for structures of the foregoing nature that are easily erectable at remote sites.
There is also a requirement for low cost, relatively permanent barrier structures.
It is well known to provide supports for plants. Generally speaking, such supports are suited for relatively small plants such as flowers, tomatoes, or small bushes, and they are not amenable to being scaled up to form mature tree like structures suited for the present purposes. One example of the prior art supports is found in British patent 9018, Buckley et al, issued Jan. 13, 1916, where there is disclosed a central post and several groups of arms radiating therefrom at spaced apart intervals, for supporting xe2x80x9cthe branches or flower stems of the plant, tree or the likexe2x80x9d. Other examples are found in British patent 10,985, Smith et al, issued Feb. 10, 1910, which discloses a central post and a plurality of similar sized concentric rings suspended thereabout by chains supported from the uppermost ring, for use as a collapsible sweet pea trainer. In U.S. Pat. No. 1,843,366, Kreimer, issued Feb. 2, 1932, there is disclosed a central post with plurality of rings which may be of different diameters, suspended therefrom at spaced apart intervals, which is indicated as being useful for supporting tomato plants. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,752,341, Goldfarb, issued May 19, 1993, there is disclosed a xe2x80x9cradial gardenxe2x80x9d which comprises a central post having a plurality of arms supported from its upper end, and a plurality of grids hanging from the arms. According to the patentee, in an optimum garden the grids will have a height of about 2 m (6-7 feet) and a radial dimension of about 1.12 m (3.5-4 feet). A somewhat different arrangement is contemplated in U.S. Pat. No. 78,037 Wilcox, issued May 19, 1868 for a hop pole, which comprises a central pole with four upswept arms supported therefrom at its upper end, which arms are supported by cords which circumscribe the arms and which connect the arms to the pole. Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that hop poles of this nature would in all probability be used in rows with ropes or cables interconnecting the arms of adjacent poles, to form a canopy onto which the hops will grow.
It is also generally known to produce topiary like armatures which are used for supporting vines. Generally speaking, these armatures comprise a central pole on which is disposed one or more hollow shaped bodies around which the vines are trained to grow. Again, these tend to be limited in their physical size.
In accordance with my invention, armatures suitable for forming panel trees comprise a central trunk, and means for mounting the trunk from a support surface in an upright position. The armature includes an upper node and a lower node, and a plurality of intermediate nodes each supported from the trunk at spaced apart intervals. The intermediate nodes each have a group of branches associated therewith. Each branch has an inner end secured to an associated node, and an outer end radially disposed with respect to the trunk. The armature includes shrouds which serve to restrict bending moments in the trunk, and also to maintain the branches in their radially spaced relationship. Suitably, for ease of rigging the armature, the shrouds comprise a first plurality which extend in vertical planes from the upper to the lower nodes and which interconnect the branches adjacent their radially outer ends, and a second plurality which extend in generally horizontal planes respectively interconnecting the branches of each group of branches adjacent their radially outer ends. A net drapes over the shrouds to envelope the trunk and branches, and is secured to the shrouds at intervals, serving to increase the structural integrity of the assembly.
In accordance with a presently preferred embodiment, each node comprises an annulus held in concentric, spaced apart relationship with the trunk by spacer tabs, to create a plurality of node passages between the annulus and the trunk. Each branch is provided at its inner end with an opening therethrough and a flexible plastic strap, commonly known as a cable tie, loops through the node passage and the branch opening to secure the branch to the node. The shrouds of the first plurality of shrouds are looped through respective ones of the node passages of the upper and lower nodes and secured thereto by knotting or by any other convenient means. Conveniently, the outer end of each branch is also provided with an opening therethrough, through which a second cable tie is looped, and the shrouds of the first and second plurality of shrouds pass through respective ones of these outer branch end loops.
The trunk and branches suitably comprise plastic tubing, with ABS tubing of a type commonly used for water drainage systems being presently preferred. The dimensions of the tubing will depend in some measure upon the desired dimensions of the panel tree, and typically, a trunk having an external diameter of about 75 mm (3 inches) and branches having an external diameter of about 38 mm (1.5 inches) will permit the erection of an armature having a height of at least about 4 m (13 feet) and a spread of about 2.5 m (8 feet).
It will be appreciated that it is not possible to ship armatures of this size through common carriers. The armature of my invention is particularly amenable to being shipped by common carriers, in the form of a kit for assembly on site. For this purpose the trunk may be made in sections each having a length of about 1.3 to 2 m (4 to 6 ft), which are joined together on site by thee use of sleeve connectors in a known manner, to form a trunk of the desired length. The kit is, then, suitable for shipment and for on-site assembly using simple hand tools, without any expertise being required.
The mounting means suitably comprises a base including a pair of arms interconnected in a cruciform arrangement which is secured to a support surface by conventional means, to provide lateral stability to the base. Above the cruciform arms there may be provided a socket into which the bottom section of the trunk may be received. Where, as preferred, the trunk is tubular, an upstanding post may be provided above the cruciform arms, over which post the tubular trunk is fitted. The post may comprise a first, fixed portion and a second portion hingedly connected to the first portion adjacent the upper extremity thereof, to project thereabove. The trunk is assembled onto the second portion when this is inclined with respect to the first portion. Then the trunk is moved, together with the second portion about the hinge, until it assumes a vertical position, when it will slide downwardly on the first and second portions and assume its erect position.
The profile of the armature, and accordingly of the resulting panel tree, can be varied substantially on site, so as to simulate the appearance of many different species of trees. This is accomplished by varying the spread of the branches and/or the spacing between the nodes. It is contemplated, particularly where the armature is provided in kit form, that the branches be provided in modular lengths, conveniently of about 30 cm and 60 cm, and connectors to join the lengths end to end to obtain the desired spread. The spread will also depend upon the angle at which the branches are inclined. Suitably, for ease of rigging the armature, it is preferred that the branches be either horizontal or inclined at an angle of about 30 degrees on either side of horizontal, and conveniently, one end of the branches is cut square, while the other end is cut at an angle of 60 degrees. However, it will be understood that other angles of inclination of the branches may be employed, and that from a theoretical standpoint, the most stable arrangement will occur when the included angle of a shroud where it connects with a branch, is bisected by the branch.
My invention contemplates panel trees which comprise the above armatures with vines or other plant growth supported on the net cover thereof It still further contemplates panel trees wherein the natural plant growth is in whole or in part replaced or supplemented by simulated plant growth supported on the net cover. Typically, where the armatures are erected directly on a suitable ground surface, the vines are cultivated in the ground adjacent the base of the trunk; the natural propensity of vines and other creeping plants will be to extend along the net cover, and eventually this will become completely covered. It will be appreciated that the plant structure will increase the structural integrity of the armatures and the ability of the panel trees to withstand adverse weather conditions. While natural vines are usually preferred both for aesthetic reasons and for cost, artificial vines have an obvious superiority in terms of their instantaneous nature, and may as a consequence be preferred under certain conditions. Suitable vine species will be selected according to known horticultural characteristics including their hardiness for the climatic zone in which the panel trees are to be erected, the growth cycle, i.e. whether the plants are annuals, perennials or evergreens; their leaf coloration, size and density; and their flowering characteristics, for example, in much the same way in which a decision would be made regarding the suitability of a real tree species for a particular site. Vines which are likely to be suited over a wide range of conditions include Virginia creeper (parthenocissus quinquifolia), American bittersweet (celastrus scandens), Italian clematis (clematis viticella), Dutchman""s pipe (aristolochia durior), trumpet creeper (campsis radicans), English ivy (hedera helix) and common hop (humulus lupulus). Where the panel trees of my invention are provided as a kit of parts for erection at remote sites, for example, the kit may include seeds of at least one species of vine for propagation about the base of the armature.
Having described the broad aspects of my invention, it will be further described in relation to preferred embodiments thereof illustrated by the accompanying drawings.